Vassell Law Group Podcast

Today, a new wave of economic pressure is emerging—U.S. tariffs—and once again, Canadians are left wondering how to stay competitive. But this time, there’s a proven solution: the E-1 and E-2 visa options under the U.S. Bilateral Treaty program. Our lawyers have helped Canadian entrepreneurs, startups, solopreneurs, and midsize companies expand into the U.S. strategically, not just to survive, but to grow in the face of tariffs.   https://becapitallaw.com  

The H-1B visa program continues to evolve, and 2025 brings significant changes that will impact both employers and applicants. Whether you're an employer looking to hire skilled foreign workers or a professional hoping to secure an H-1B visa, our U.S. Immigration lawyers can help you understand these updates that are crucial for a successful application process. H-1B Visa Changes Effective as of 2025: What You Need to Know The H-1B visa program continues to evolve, and 2025 brings significant changes that will impact both employers and applicants. Whether you're an employer looking to hire skilled foreign workers or a professional hoping to secure an H-1B visa, understanding these updates is crucial for a successful application process. Here’s what you need to know about the key changes coming to the H-1B program in 2025.   Beneficiary-Centric" Selection Process: A Fairer Lottery System One of the biggest changes to the H-1B visa lottery system is the shift to a "beneficiary-centric" model. In previous years,

In today’s unpredictable immigration landscape, a temporary Federal Hiring Freeze is leaving many non-immigrant visa holders—whether you're an H-1B professional, an F-1 student, or a J-1 participant—grappling with uncertainty about your future in the United States. With government agencies and many companies slowing or halting new hires, the question looms large: How can you remain and thrive in the U.S. amid these challenges? The anxiety is real—from the potential disruption of your family’s life (imagine having to pull your children out of school) to the stress of being forced to return home without a clear plan. “The federal hiring freeze has created significant roadblocks for many agencies and companies, leaving foreign professionals in limbo as they await further opportunities.” – Reuters The Challenge at a Glance The hiring freeze isn’t just a minor setback—it’s a major obstacle affecting your ability to secure or extend your work visa. In essence, the freeze places H-1B, F-1, and J-1 visa holders

Part I:  Understanding the Serious Consequences of Criminal Charges for Non-Citizens Life is unpredictable. Over the years, our Immigration attorneys have stepped in to help F-1 international students, young professionals, and non-immigrant visa holders (such as H-1B or L-1 holders) who, in a moment of poor judgment, found themselves facing a criminal charge. Depending on the specific offense, it could be classified as a crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT) or even an aggravated felony under U.S. immigration law. These are very technical legal terms with serious implications. Our firm collaborates closely with criminal defense counsel to mitigate potential immigration consequences of charges like DUIs, reckless driving, domestic disputes, larceny/theft, or drug possession. Without coordinated efforts between an experienced immigration lawyer and a criminal lawyer, non-citizens risk deportation or inadmissibility—and even a denied U.S. citizenship application can lead to removal proceedings. When a U.S. citi

Elon Musk recently set off another firestorm by criticizing U.S. immigration policy—specifically the H-1B visa program. In a CBS interview, Musk lamented the “dire shortage of extremely talented and motivated engineers,” warning that if America turns away the best global talent, it risks losing its competitive edge. As a seasoned business and immigration attorney (with the bonus perspective of both Canadian and U.S. citizenship), I’m often asked if Musk is right. Is the annual H-1B lottery hurting America’s ability to recruit top professionals? The short answer: It depends on your industry, your hiring strategy, and the position you’re filling. But one thing’s certain—if you want to attract the best from around the globe, you need a smart approach to navigating the visa system. Below are 4 proven tips to boost your chances of landing work visas for foreign national employees, especially if you’re aiming for the highly sought-after H-1B. Whether you’re in tech, healthcare, education, or beyond, these insights

J-1 Cultural Exchange Visas often come with a 2-year residency requirement pursuant to Sec.(212)e of the Federal Regulations. Foreign Nationals holding such J-1 visas, often get trapped applying and waiting for an I-612 to be approved, before moving to file for change of status or adjustment of status with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”).    I will share three essential tips our immigration lawyers use to successfully navigate changing our clients J-1 visa status to a new work visa status; or adjusting clients to a U.S. Permanent resident status, notwithstanding a pending I-612 waiver. 

Historically nurses were not allowed to get work visas through the H1-B visa work program due to educational requirements. The U.S. Department of Labor had set the standard requirements for nurses at a two-year associate's degree level. In contrast, to be eligible for an H-1B visa the profession must require a 4-year degree minimum.  Our Immigration lawyers have worked with nurses, occupational therapists and physical therapists for over 25 years; and all three professions continue to be deemed ‘in shortage’ within the United States according to the Department of Labor (DOL).

Parole In Place is an application based on humanitarian relief principles. In this blog post, I will explain the PIP facts so you don’t have to get news through the grapevine.  First, it’s important to note that U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services began accepting PIP applications on the 19th of August 2024. Since then, a Federal District Judge has issued a temporary stay against the legal relief for 14 days. What does this mean? Can you still file for PIP? -- The answer is yes absolutely. U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services has made it clear that they are still accepting applications over the next 14 days. After the 14-day period, it is unknown what will happen next.

With the entire landscape of Media being transformed and redefined within the last two decades, our immigration lawyers frequently have the pleasure of representing creatives around the world. Our clients include individual creatives, social media teams and traditional production companies who provide informational and/or entertainment content to the public.  In this podcast we briefly discuss different visas that must be matched to the 'exact intent and purpose' for your visit. We will explore the L visa, B-1 business visa, H-3, and the I visa.

Our law firm is experiencing an unprecedented trend! We have been representing clients in U.S. Immigration matters for over 25 years. Recently, we have noticed an unprecedented trend in 2024. Our clients who are eligible for Naturalization/ Citizenship in the United States are getting approved in less than 3 months. While it's a great time to apply for U.S. Citizenship, it's very important to check off the boxes mentioned here to ensure one's eligibility; and seek out an experienced immigration lawyer to answer complex questions to the USCIS officers in the representation of your N-400 during the interview and application process. To schedule an initial 15 min free citizenship screening with our lawyers, you may contact us at info@vasselllaw.com. We represent clients throughout the United States.

If you or someone you know is a non-citizen of the United States working in OPT F-1 status, as a J-1 au-pair, or is an asylum seeker who may be subject to a hostile or toxic work environment, please know you have rights. Labor laws and Trafficking laws not only protect non citizens, but in some cases reporting intolerable work conditions to the proper authorities may be a path to U.S. Permanent Resident Status. The United States takes a strong stand against Labor trafficking; and foreign nationals working in the United States may seek protection under the T visa laws. Our immigration lawyers have filed T visas along with Green card applications for many individuals subject to abuse by his or her employer.

The H-1B visa season is here again, and registration begins in less than a month! This is the most sought-after practical work visa for professionals holding 4-year bachelors’ or advanced degrees seeking work with a U.S. employer. U.S. employers seeking global talent to fill ‘specialty’ occupations in their company should begin working with an immigration lawyer early. The rules surrounding the H-1B visa process are complex, and most issues can be resolved early in the year before registration. Congress sets a yearly cap on H-1B visas.  Only 65,000- 80,000 visas are issued each fiscal year. There are exceptions to the cap, which are not discussed in this podcast.  Rather, this podcast discusses essential tips to successfully navigate the H-1B visa lottery selection process.

Employment Based work visas can be volatile; and taking charge of one’s visa status is more important than ever in this economy.  If you hold an H-1B visa, approved I-140 petition by a U.S. employer and/or have a pending Employment Based Green Card; it is important to understand how the actions of your company can make or break your U.S. status and immigration goals.

Applying to adjust one’s status in the United States to a Permanent Resident is an exciting experience. The question often arises, “Should I still keep my non-immigrant visa current since I have my employment authorization (EAD), and I’ll soon be a Permanent Resident”?   The answer is yes!

The B-1 and B-2 visa has mistakenly been limited and labeled as the ‘Tourist visa’. However, it is better referred to as the Visitor visa, which extends way beyond the purpose of touring the United States.  Rather, the purpose for which a Foreign National can visit the United States or change visa status to a Visitor in the U.S. is vast. 

A popular held belief that once a foreign national is granted a visa to the United States its all-smooth sailing through the border. This is unfortunately not true. This short blog will explain the "behind scenes" screenings and audits with U.S. CBP or USCIS that can cause exclusion or removal from the United States that all starts with what appears to be an approved temporary non-immigrant visa at one's U.S. consulate abroad.

Balancing quality childcare and a career has become a real dilemma in the United States.  Juggling activities, sports and taking care of our kids’ intermittent medical needs, has become unsustainable for even 2 parent homes. In this podcast, we discuss how proper planning can help families succeed in hiring a nanny from abroad, and/or keep their au pair after the maximum time allowance through a cultural exchange program.  The Au Pair J-1 cultural exchange program provides temporary nannies for a one-to-two-year period. Au Pairs are limited by age and visa. After age 26, they are no longer eligible for the program

In this episode we take you back to our classroom and talk about Business Visas!

Today we will discuss the H-3 Training Visa and how it can help you!!

Today we discuss a very popular question that we get and that is  "Do I have to advertise to hire a US Worker?" There are two situations where the answer is yes and we discuss one of them today!!